OSPREY
#OSP-400
Notecards Only
Also available in Notecard Assortment Packs #AST-401
, #AST-402 & #AST-404
Often
called the fish hawk, the osprey lives near lakes, rivers and
seacoasts on every continent except Antarctica. To hunt, the osprey
cruises over the water until it spots a fish. Then it hovers on
beating wings briefly before plunging feet first into the water,
grasping its slippery prey with large claws and spicule-studded
feet.
The
osprey’s large white head atop a dark brown upper body gives
it a resemblance to the bald eagle, its nemesis. As the osprey
returns to the nest with its catch, the bald eagle often swoops
in. The faster, more powerful eagle then bedevils the osprey until
it releases the fish. Quickly, the eagle plunges to ensnare the
fish before it hits the water.
Unlike
the eagle, the osprey has a broad dark eye stripe. It also has
a dark “wrist” patch on its white underside, and the
female usually sports a dark spotted “necklace.” An
adult osprey may grow to two-feet tall with a wingspan of six
feet. It often flies with a distinct bend in the front of each
wing. At Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania, an osprey clocked at two
points traveled 80 miles per hour without flapping its wings.
The
osprey builds a bulky stick nest similar to eagle nests, typically
atop a tree or utility pole. A mated pair uses the same nest year
after year, usually raising a brood of three or four chicks.
Text © 1997 Terry White, Drawing ©
1997 Bill Harrah
.
. . BIRDS OF PREY . . . (Click on an image to
see the actual notecard size)